Royal Garden from Israelite Palace Reveals Its Secrets

Archaeologists excavating a garden complex from an ancient Israelite palace at the site of Ramat Rahel just south of Jerusalem* have found new evidence for the plants and fruits that grew within its walls. Analysis of the plaster that clung to the garden’s walls revealed traces of embedded pollen from a variety of wild species and fruit trees, including the etrog tree. The etrog, or citron, is one of several species commonly associated with the Jewish festival of Sukkoth. The botanical evidence, discovered in a plaster layer from the Persian period (sixth– fourth centuries B.C.E.), marks the earliest occurrence of the etrog in Israel’s archaeological record.

Archaeologists excavating a garden complex from an ancient Israelite palace at the site of Ramat Rahel just south of Jerusalem have found new evidence for the plants and fruits that grew within its walls.

* See Gabriel Barkay, “Royal Palace, Royal Portrait?” Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October 2006.

Learn more about what was grown in the palace garden.

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